Move Like Creatures is a pop rock four-piece from Southern California. Their lineup currently consists of Nancy Bombard (lead vocals), Ryan Reynolds (guitar), Brian Bello (bass) and Melissa Koziel (drums). It’s a fairly typical setup for a rock band, but don’t be fooled by the simplicity of it because Move Like Creatures make music that is phenomenally catchy! Space Case is the name of their, as the band put it, “exhilarating” brand new debut EP, and it is chock full of hooks influenced by everything from alternative rock to new wave to pop punk.
Produced and engineered by Ethan Kaufmann (Ryan Cabrera , Avril Lavigne), each of Space Case’s five songs shimmer with confidence and charisma, despite the lyrics being quite raw and vulnerable. Bombard finds herself “grappling openly with loss, insecurity, and mental health,” but asserts eager listeners that “no matter how dark and desperate things may seem, we’re never truly alone in this world.” Touching sentiments aside, this no-skip EP rocks all the way through from “Ghost Me” to the title track closer. Just from hearing “Ghost Me” alone, my immediate comparison for these four was After Laughter-era Paramore. Luckily, I know exactly what the title means, considering my Generation Z status. The drums and bass are full of firepower, and Reynolds’ guitar has this reggae-ish vibe that continues onto the next song, the breakout hit, “Mind Reader.” “Mind Reader,” to me, is as if “Ain’t It Fun” married “Hard Times” (both carefree-sounding Paramore songs). It results in some of the stickiest songwriting Move Like Creatures offers, which is why it makes so much sense to me that this was released as their very first single. By the band’s own account, the lyrics of “Mind Reader” were inspired by a failed therapy session. The descending hook of “You must be a mind reader” followed by a snide “At least you look the part” is straight-up Hayley Williams territory. “All Hung Up” dials up the new wave influence with explosive synthesizers that enter after the euphoric chorus. Perhaps “Age of Consent” by New Order was used as a reference point for those synths? That sound layered on top of guitars and drums becomes pretty irresistible. “Pick Up What I Put Down” resumes the island funk sound of “Mind Reader,” and is just as good, especially as Bombard utilizes falsetto on the hook. Last but not least, the title track “Space Case” is the dreamiest song on Move Like Creatures’ EP. The way Bombard sneers “I’m surrounded by you” is not unlike Courtney Love. Atmospheric guitars and synths are a nice touch to this very cool song. Out of the five tracks on the EP, I couldn’t possibly imagine a better closer than this one! With the impressive Space Case, you can bet that Move Like Creatures will really rack up a large number of streams. Give this a listen. Strongly recommended.
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